San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country is strengthening its programme for the next edition by including several international figures who will expand the scope of the conference across different regions and languages. These include the American writer Mark Kurlansky and the chefs Mauro Colagreco, Jacopo Ticchi and Poul Andrias Ziska. Scheduled for 5–7 October, the event will pay tribute to 50 years of New Basque Cuisine and will also host a global cod symposium – two themes that connect naturally with some of the newly announced participants.

Mark Kurlansky's participation will provide a historical and cultural perspective that is particularly relevant to this edition of the congress. The author of books such as Cod, Salt and The Basque History of the World, Kurlansky has devoted part of his work to explaining how seemingly specific foods – such as cod and salt, for example – have shaped our understanding of the world. His connection to Basque culture and to cod establishes him as one of the most versatile voices on the programme.
Jacopo Ticchi will be joining us from Rimini, where he is the chef at Da Lucio, one of the most distinctive voices in the new Italian seafood cuisine. He has popularised the concept of using every part of the fish and offers a contemporary interpretation of Adriatic cuisine that moves away from the traditional seafood trattoria. The restaurant opened in 2019, later moving to its current location next to the Rimini harbour, and was awarded a star in the 2026 Michelin Guide.

Also joining the line-up is Mauro Colagreco, the chef at the three-star restaurant Mirazur in Menton, France. Mirazur was recognised as the world’s best restaurant by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019. It is not just a three-star establishment, but a restaurant built around an ecosystem comprising its own vegetable gardens, the lunar calendar, biodiversity, and a cuisine that combines French, Italian and Argentine influences.

Rounding off the international line-up is Poul Andrias Ziska, head chef at Paz** in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. After putting Faroese cuisine on the map with KOKS, Ziska opened his own restaurant in 2025, which was awarded two Michelin stars just a few weeks later. His culinary vision stems from an extreme landscape, where traditional techniques and the natural surroundings are part of his culinary DNA.

The event will also feature Christopher Haatuft from Lysverket* in Bergen, Norway, and Vítor Adão from Plano in Lisbon. Both chefs hail from countries with a rich tradition of cod cuisine, which is one of the central themes of this edition of Gastronomika.

These new additions join the previously announced Gastón Acurio, Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Troisgros – three influential figures from different generations. Acurio has been instrumental in promoting Peruvian cuisine globally since Astrid y Gastón; Gagnaire runs one of the most influential French restaurants of recent decades in Paris; and Troisgros represents one of the most significant culinary dynasties in Europe through Le Bois sans Feuilles*** in Ouches.

Alongside these new additions, San Sebastián Gastronomika 2026 will feature an impressive national line-up. Joan Roca from El Celler de Can Roca*** will return as one of the leading figures in contemporary Spanish cuisine. Meanwhile, the young chef Iris Jordán, from Ansils* in Anciles, Huesca, will bring the vibrant flavours of Pyrenean cuisine to the Kursaal, showcasing its unique expression in the Benasque Valley. Also in attendance will be Paco Pérez, whose time at Miramar** in Llançà shaped his Mediterranean approach, deeply rooted in the Costa Brava sea; Paco Roncero from his Madrid restaurant at the Casino de Madrid; Francis Paniego, who represents the contemporary culinary heritage of La Rioja at El Portal de Echaurren** in Ezcaray; Josean Alija, whose delicate cuisine can be enjoyed at Nerua* in Bilbao; and Quique Dacosta, who has made the Mediterranean the conceptual foundation of one of Europe’s greatest restaurants, located in Dénia.

A highlight of this year's event will be the symbolic arrival in port of the San Juan, a 16^(th)-century Basque whaling ship replica built by the Albaola shipyard. It will carry a cargo of dried cod, linking the congress to the Basque Country's maritime and commercial heritage. This cod will be available to purchase outside the Kursaal throughout the event, turning the tribute to the product into an experience open to the city and a bridge between history and gastronomy.

With this latest programme update, San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country announces an edition that will reflect on the origins of a culinary revolution, while avoiding nostalgia. Fifty years on from the New Basque Cuisine movement, the congress will bring together chefs, authors and thinkers who can interpret gastronomy as a cultural phenomenon associated with the generation that sparked the revolution. The congress will also honour Martín Berasategui with the Tribute Award in recognition of his pivotal role in raising the international profile of Basque cuisine. The conference will also present Luis Gutiérrez, one of the most influential voices in the world of Spanish wine, with the Gueridón de Oro, and award the Pau Albornà i Torras Prize for Gastronomic Journalism to Anya von Bremzen, a Russian-American journalist and writer who has played a key role in promoting Spanish cuisine internationally.